


An exercise in understanding

by MirageOasis



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Fantasy AU, Feminization, Hypnosis, Past Abuse, Second Person Perspective, Tags to be updated as applicable, Trans Characters, nagas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-11-05 09:19:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17916083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirageOasis/pseuds/MirageOasis
Summary: "We understand that, considering your legacy, you must be extremely busy. Being the son of the great Dualscar Ampora must put you in high demand. However, if you can find the time to rid our outskirts of this monster, our city would be forever indebted to you.~Yours truly, Mayor Black of Derse."You scoff, and throw the letter aside. Vapid kiss-assery, trying to get some professional hunter in so they don't have to spend any of their own men to deal with it. You doubt the mayor even bothered to write this thing herself. If you knew one thing about Derse, it was that you were either ruthlessly smart, or the dopes being preyed upon by them. That said...if you knew two things about Derse, it was that if you were a useful enough rube, they'd be sure to make sure they THOUGHT they appreciated you. In cold, hard cash. So, you pick up your rifle, and make your way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration for the concept and design for Kanaya come from this piece off deviantart https://www.deviantart.com/geborne/art/Naga-Kanaya-680481724

 

You keep your breathing steady and quiet, as best you can, staring at the snakelike woman in your sights. This creature, this...thing had been causing trouble in the nearby city, apparently. Slithering in on her tail, finding some woman to her liking and whisking them away in the dead of night after a week or so. It wasn’t the kind of job you took, normally. You figure it’s mostly their problem. But the pay was just too good to pass up. And you’d certainly never tried to take on a naga before. Rare around these parts, let alone back home. You settle as still as you can from within your treetop perch, finger trained on the trigger as you watch her lazily move about her nest, stroking the hair of a dazed looking young lady. You’re about to take the shot, when-

“Are You Aware That I Can Hear You?”

You panic, firing off at stark fucking nothing in the air, before turning to sit behind a large branch.

“That Does Appear To Be A No, Doesn’t It.” She says, her tone dry. Your blood boils. Who’s this damned monster to-”I Mean, It Was, I Suppose, An Admirable Effort. You Gave It A Good Go. But You Breathe Much Too Loud To Fool Me. How Long Have You Been In There?”

You don’t respond. You’re not sure how to handle this. “Well? I Asked You A Question.”

“A-question I don’t have to answer, you freak of nature.” You snarl from your cover, trying to get your resolve back. It melts away as she laughs, smooth as honey.

“Well, Aren’t You The Charmer. Are You Going To Hide In That Treetop For The Rest Of The Day, Or Will You At Least Come Face To Face?”

“I’m not letting you get at me that easy, you serpentine witc-”

“Hm. No, I Thought Not.” You freeze as you feel the tree shift, an additional weight. She pokes her head through the leaves, right up in your face. Before, you had been trying your best not to really pay much attention to her outside of as a target, but this close you can't help but notice the details. Her skin seems to have the faintest tint of gray, with small little markings of an almost glowing bright green in various places around it. Her ears are pointed, and seem to have some sort of golden piercing in them. Actually, there's a LOT of gold, even just in the spots you can see at the moment. A necklace, some sort of...you're not sure what the word would be. An armband, maybe? A wide ring of gold wrapped just under her shoulder, with slim ends that curve into a point. You think you can see a slight glimpse of a chain connected to her weird, orangeish horns. You're doing your best to look at everything but her eyes, but can't help but eventually find yourself looking at them. Thank God, they're not flashing. They are a weird shade of yellow, though.

She appears surprised at first, looking you up and down, which would of course be a stellar time to take your shot if you could make your fingers move. The confusion seems to resolve, as she nods. “So, What’s Your Name?”

“I don’t have to-”

“I Am Kanaya.” You really wish you didn’t have a name to put to the carcass you were about to make. “What Is Your Name.” She repeats, slightly more insistent. You still hesitate. She sighs. “Come On, If We’re Fighting, It Might As Well Be Respectful.”

”...Eridan.” You eventually say, curling up as you avoid her gaze. 

“Eh-rih-duhn...” She repeats back to you, sounding it out slowly. “Not Bad.”

“...Thank you?”

“Would You Like To Come Out Of This Tree, Eridan?” You fidget.

“...Sure.”

She flashes a soft smile at you that you do your best not to trust, before retreating from the tree. You hear her as she moves back to where she was, and then it's quiet. You sit there for a good 15 seconds. She doesn't say anything. You don't move. You turn to peek your head out from behind your branch, and see her lazily resting in her thick, spotted green coils, the pointed tip of her tail giving a lazy flick as she notices you looking. You quickly jolt back, before taking a deep breath, strapping your rifle over your back and starting to climb down.

She makes a noise that you're not sure you like when you come down, something kind of appreciative. You jolt back, your hand going back towards your gun, which seems to earn you nothing but a roll of the eyes. God, that's annoying. You have half a mind to just shoot her right now. But...you know that's not going to work. She's probably just as on guard as you are, she's just better at hiding it. You shake your head, and start to walk forward, but you stop your foot halfway through, skidding it through the dirt to stand your ground. “So. I'm out. Face to face. Like you said.”

She stretches her human torso up, giving her head a tilt. She looks disappointed. “Well. Yes, I Suppose You Are,” She sighs, settling back down. “You Really Shouldn't Be Scared Of Me.”

“I'm not scared,” You say, with what in your head is a vicious sneer. “I'm cautious. Caution is pretty important when chasin' down monsters. Like you.”

“Yes, Monsters Like Me.” She says, with a sigh and a dismissive wave of the hand. God, you hate her so much. She starts to say something else, before you see the girl she had been petting earlier stir. She's a tiny little thing, maybe 16, 17? And it looks like she's barely had anything to eat in...a long, long time. The monster is probably keeping most of the food to herself. She sits up with a groan, rubbing her eyes. “Uggggghhhhhh,” She groans, “Why are you being so loooouuud.” She manages to blink the sleep out of her olive green eyes, as she looks to you. And then to Ka-the monster, her eyes full of worry. “No Need To Be Concerned. This Is Eridan. We're Having...A Minor Disagreement.”

“A minor disagreement!? I'm here to fuckin' kill you!” You say, with a dignified stomp. “Eridan,” She says, as though you didn't speak, “This Is Nepeta.” You huff. Yeah, you remember that name. That's her latest capture. Nepeta seems pretty unsure about the situation, scooting closer to Kanaya, who reaches down to ruffle the little brunette's hair. She seems to appreciate that, closing her eyes with a purring noise. That's weird.

“...Hi, Nepeta.” You say, mostly out of not being sure what else to do. God, this has gone so off the rails. “You know, you probably shouldn't be here.” You look away. You doubt that's going to do much. You can hear her huff, and you look over to see her fold her arms with a pout on her face.

“Oh, please. I've had enough people tell me what's 'best' for me, Eridan.” She seems to feel very familiar already, with how she says your name. That puts you a little off-balance, but you keep resolve. You spare a glance at the monster, who seems to be looking between you pensively.

“Well, what do you think _she's_ doin'?” You say, pointing to the monster. “She's got you under some kinda fuckin' spell, and-and look at where you are! Cuddlin' up with a gigantic, obviously stuffed carnivorous monster, and you? You look thin as a fuckin' rail!” Her defiant expression quickly gives way to one of fear, then sadness. Kanaya, on the other hand, briefly gives off a look of absolute cold steel, like she wants to cut your arm off with nothing but her eyes. She seems to catch herself, calming her gaze before sighing, and making a move to come towards you.

It's not thought-out, it's not smart, but at the first sign of motion you turn your heel and run. You'd run out of fight, and it was time for the flight. You don't look back until you're well out of the forest, halfway between it and the city nearby. There's no sign of her. You didn't expect there to be, but...

You close your eyes, and take a deep breath. You were going to be back. And you weren't going to let her get the better of you this time. You swear it.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Surgical mutilation, within the text dump. It's glanced over.

Alright. Okay, you've got this. You look through the scope of your rifle, only as close as you need to be to get a shot. Your breathing is as slow and quiet as you can make it. You doubt she can hear this far, but...fuck. You don't know. Maybe she could hear you coming from outside the woods, or some shit. You hope not.

The monster's currently sitting on her coils near a lit fire, sharing a meal of what appears to be some sort of meat with her little harem, eating on fairly crudely made plates. You sneer. Fuckin' classy of her. Probably spurred on by you pointing out her bullshit. You can only see a few girls with her, you can't imagine that being the full scope of her conquests. Nepeta is there, obviously. Looking a bit better than she did when you saw her last week. Then there's some blonde, you think you recall seeing her asleep last time. Lastly, at least of what you can see, (that really can't be it, right? No, you know you remember seeing at least one more. Some black-haired lady, glasses.) there's some foreign-looking chick with a fairly surly expression. You're not sure what to think of that, nor do you care. You're not here to worry about her. 

So. You calm yourself. Keep your aim steady. Focus through your right eye, training the sights on target, the head of that jade-colored freak of nature. Ready...aim...

“What are you doing?”

You jolt, hearing a slightly accented feminine voice from above and behind you, but refrain from pulling the trigger. “What,” You whisper, through gritted teeth, “Does it look like I'm doing.”

“I don't know,” She says, “That's why I asked.”

“I'm a monster hunter. And I am about to hunt a monster.”

“Oh.” She says, sounding subdued. “You mean Kanaya?”

"Yes. I mean Kanaya. Quiet."

“Why are you hunting her? She isn't a monster.”

You open your mouth to argue, but close it before any words come out. The longer you chat, the more likely it is she hears you. As of right now, she doesn't seem to be looking your way, so maybe if you...just...

BANG.

The movement is too swift for your eyes to track. She's out of her coils like a bullet, sliding across the ground and over to essentially the same spot on the other side of the campfire. Nepeta looks up with a suspicious look on her face, which is absolutely the tamest of the reactions. The blonde ends up dropping her food, and the black-haired one is looking out in your direction like she's about to slit your fucking throat. “Hello, Eridan!” Kanaya yells out to you, as nonchalant as ever. You stand up, cursing up a storm, before you feel a slender hand pop over your mouth.

Oh, right. She's still here. You turn your gaze backwards in anger, looking at the somewhat roundish face and figure of, indeed, yet another girl. She looks sort of similar to the one trying to glare a hole through your head back near the monster's camp. You bring your hand up to wrench hers off your mouth, turning around to face her. “Good fuckin' goin', genius. There was my one shot, and you made me blow it.”

She shakes her head, and folds her arms. “How did I make you blow it? She dodged!”

“Yeah, 'cause you were over here blabberin' away like some kinda fuckin'...urgh, I don't have an insult!”

“Is There A Problem Over There?” You hear Kanaya call.

“YEAH, OF COURSE THERE'S A GODDAMN PROBLEM, YOU SHE-WITCH!” You yell back.

“I Was Not Asking You, Eridan.”

“No, I think we're alright!” The girl responds, before looking at you. “Well, I don't think you should be shooting her, anyway!” She retorts, as though it's supposed to be convincing.

“Of COURSE you don't!” You say, throwing your arms in the air. “Because you, like every other fuckin' cute girl in a twenty mile radius apparently, have been gettin' your mind blitzed by a gigantic goddamn snake woman!”

“My mind isn't blitzed,” She protests.

“Oh, of course it isn't. Lemme just take that at face value. Because obviously, ancient hypnotic beasts just hate to cover their tracks.”

“Are You Sure You're Fine Over There, Aradia?”

“I'm sure!” She shakes her head. “I don't know why she's getting so defensive-”

“What a fuckin' mystery.”

The girl-Aradia, you suppose, shoots you a look. Before sighing, shaking her head and walking back to camp. You watch her leave with a sour expression, slinging your rifle across your back and turning away. “Eridan,” Kanaya calls, “You Are Free To Join Us If You Wish.”

That makes you stop. Not because you're tempted. Just because you're baffled. You turn on your heel, staring back at the camp. Kanaya is staring right back at you, with Nepeta and Aradia's lookalike giving her a look of concern and calm anger, respectively. You frown, and stomp over.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” You hiss, when you finally get into regular speaking volume distance.

“I Do Not Understand The Question.”

“I do,” Says Aradia's lookalike. She has a very, very thick accent. You can't help but feel like it seems the slightest bit forced, though. Why she would do that, you can't imagine. “And I also have it. Why are you inviting him.”

“It's Only Polite, Damara.” You see her eyes flick to you. You bite back a comment about how very nice it is to be considered.

“Polite? He has shot you.”

“More than once!” You chime. The look on Damara's face almost makes you regret said chiming. Kanaya shakes her head.

“Yes, And It's Quite Frankly My Fault. I've Gotten Off On The Wrong Foot With Him. I Think It's Best If It Gets Set Right.” You jolt, one foot going backwards in a defensive posture, as you cover your eyes. Kanaya sighs, sounding kind of hurt. “No, Eridan. Not Like That. I Just Want To Talk With You. Over Dinner.”

“...Not hungry.” You say with a snarl. You're not taking food from her.

“Very Well. Over Dinner For One Of Us.” You pause. Hm. You...suppose if you can get her guard down, that's probably your best bet for getting this job done. You reluctantly lower your guard, and your arm, finding someplace relatively comfortable to sit and doing so. Kanaya smiles at you. Nepeta still seems wary. Damara still seems threatening. The blonde just looks like she's studying you. You're not sure where the hell Aradia went.

“Oh, Yes.” Kanaya says. “This is Roxy, To Round Out Our Introductions.”

“yo sup”

You look at Roxy like she just spoke an alien language. She flashes a smile. It sends a chill down your spine. What is wrong with these girls? “lmao yea i get that a lot.”

You shake your head, looking to Kanaya. "So." You spread your arms. "You wanted to talk. About?" She looks up, in thought.

"Well...It's Obvious You See Me As A Monster."

"No sh-" Kanaya holds her hand up, and you quiet down.

"And Of Course, I Understand Why. I'm Sure You've Been Given...Only As Much Information As Deemed Necessary. What Do You Know About Nepeta?"

"What? I don't know. Not much? 'Cept that her father is puttin' up a good prize to get her back."

"Yes, Mr. Zahhak Would Certainly Pay A Pretty Penny To Keep What Remains Of His Legacy. You See, Eridan, Nepeta...Isn't Human."

You stare at her blankly, and glance over to Nepeta. She's looking away, but she isn't protesting what Kanaya is saying, you guess. You look back to Kanaya, before you scoff. "Really? Then what the fuck is she?"

"A Faunus. I'm Sure You've Heard Of Them, Yes?"

"What? I mean, yeah, but...she's not one of those." Nepeta's expression tightens. "I mean, first of all, there aren't any up here in the first place. Second of all, you can tell. There's always something external."

"Two Facts Her Father Was Quite Sure Of Before Marrying Her Mother, Yes. However-"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Nepeta says, shaking her head. Kanaya stops dead in her verbal tracks, giving the girl a long look. She seems like she regrets starting this conversation in the first place. She sighs, and looks back to you.

"Well. That's That, Then. Look, Eridan, I Just...I'm Not What You Think. I Don't Take On Whims. This Is Not Because I See The Girls Of That Village And See Shiny New Toys That I Simply Must Have. They Find Me Because They Need Me. And I Am Happy To Help."

You grunt. You still don't trust her. You don't think she's lying, anymore. Just self-deluded. She probably believes that what she's doing is some sort of service. But people are good at fooling themselves. Nobody thinks they're evil. You look as you hear Kanaya shift and put down her plate, removing herself from her coiled position. "Well. I Am Sure You're Just As Desperate To Get Out Of This As My Girls Are To See You Go, Eridan, Though I Wish I Had Something To Say To Abate Either."

You look around. Still seems to be a pretty good amount of unrest pointed in your direction, yeah. Damara looks like she's debating spitting on you. Or maybe stabbing. You stand up, masking your discomfort from all the looks. "Yeah, I'm not itching to stay here much longer than I need to. That it? That your big plan, your speech to make me not wanna live off your corpse for the next year?"

"No. But I'm Sure It's All You Are Going To Listen To For Now. If You Would Like, I Would Guide You Ou-"

"I'm fine, thanks." You say, with a sardonic smile and a glare.

"Of Course. Just...Know You Are Free To Come Back. I Will Do My Best To Make Sure You're As Safe Here As Any Of My Girls."

Something in her tone sets you off. "I'm _not_ one of your girls, monster." You say, as you turn back. "But yeah. I'll be back."


	3. Chapter 3

Leaves and sticks crunch under your feet as you trudge through these god-forsaken woods for the third time. You're starting to really hate these woods. Then again, you hated most woods once you got to know them. They're kind of like people that way. Sure, they seem alright at first, but then you get familiar, and all those flaws start to show, and...blah. Yeah, you guess you at least prefer the woods to THAT.

You stew for a moment, before realizing this attempt at distracting yourself from what you were doing wasn't really working. You frown. God, this is so stupid. Like, really? You're SERIOUSLY going along with this? A giant monster invites you over for a spot of tea or some shit, and you take her up on it? Well, yeah. Of course you do. You need to get her guard down around you. You're not here to be her buddy, just to find a nice shot. Your usual methods clearly don't work. She's too smart, too sensitive and too fast. You take your rifle down, your fingers playing over it uncomfortably. Something about that rings hollow.

"Are you going to shoot her again?"

You whirl, and nearly point your gun at Aradia, who's hanging down from a branch. Her shirt has fallen down, barely covering her...God, no, no, no, don't look at that. Fucking gross. You're not gonna even think like that, take advantage of these poor girls in the monster's web. Or...some more appropriate snake metaphor. You fumble your mouth, before she blinks brightly and holds her shirt up with a little "Sorry!"

"Maybe." You eventually settle on. 

"Maybe...?" She says, with a suspicious look and head turn. 

"Look, I don't fuckin' know, alright!?" You turn, and keep walking. She's to your side almost immediately, without an obvious sound of getting down. She holds her hands behind her back, keeping your pace. "I mean, I'm gonna shoot her eventually. Obviously. I gotta."

"Why?"

"Wh-what do you mean, 'why'?" you say, in exasperation.

"I think 'why' is a pretty simple question." She says, like you're the idiot here. 

"I gotta fuckin' eat, and that town-" You point over in the vague direction of Derse, "Has promised me a boatload for keepin' it safe."

"But why? I mean, why should you? They're not very good people, you know."

"Don't take good people to make good cash. Really, a lot harder to get it from good people. Good people pay you for the job. Bad people-the right bad people-pay you for the job, and then a little bonus to make you keep your guard down."

She hums, and nods. You can hear voices just ahead, which surprises you. You didn't think you'd been walking for that long.  "HEY, KANAYA! ERIDAN IS HERE, AND HE'S MAYBE GOING TO SHOOT YOU!"

"Yes, I Know Dear!" Kanaya calls back. You groan, and sling your rifle back across your back. Ahead, it seems like the same gang from before. Plus one, though. Actually, you remember her, she was the one you saw the first time that wasn't here last time. She's wearing a lightish blue dress of some sort, and what looks like a religious symbol on her neck. She's got a notebook with her, cracked open. She's close up to Kanaya. Maybe showing her the contents. As she notices you, she scooches away from Kanaya, in what seems like embarrassment. Weird. You sigh, and walk forward.

"I Couldn't Persuade You To Not Bring Your Weapon In Here, Eridan?"

You bark out a laugh.

"No, I Thought Not." She says, a faint tone of resigned amusement in her voice. "I'm Just Glad You Came Back."

"That makes one of us." Damara mutters, giving you a violent look. You give her one back, stopping in your tracks. After a few moments, she hums, and leans back. You nod triumphantly, despite the fact you're actually really not sure what the fuck just happened there. Damara and the new girl share a glance, and she scribbles something down.

"Didn't crash a party, did I?" You say, spreading your arms as you look between Kanaya and the new girl. 

"No, no, of course not. Not at all. We were just talking about some research I did while I was away, is all."

Kanaya nods. "Yes, Aranea Always Finds Such Fascinating Things Out On Her Own." Damara and Roxy share a meaningful look with each other. Roxy mutters something that makes Damara snicker. Aranea glares at them. You look around, and-oh, goddammit, where the fuck did Aradia go? You turn around, before an authoritative snap makes you whirl towards them. Aranea has one arm folded and the other outstretched, in a position that makes it clear it came from her. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Ampora, but if you're going to be here I think you should at least pay attention to us, don't you?"

You stare at her, mouth agape. Your expression resolves into one of indignation, as you stomp up. She folds her arms, and looks at you disapprovingly behind her glasses. "Now you listen up, girlie, I did NOT come here to be bossed around, got it? I'll look where I damn well want to l-"

"Ssssssssh." She says, leaning forward. You shut up. She gives a self-satisfied smile. Kanaya makes a chiding noise. 

"Aranea, Please. As Much As I Appreciate Your Work, We Ought To Be Careful With Him. He's Wary. Understandably. Getting Too Overzealous With..." She trails off, and Aranea makes a conceding noise.

"...What? Gettin' overzealous with what?" Aranea waves a hand, and Kanaya nods. You look to the others here, and they all offer about as much help. You groan, and sit down in an empty spot. Next to Roxy, you guess. She gives you a flirty wave, which you respond to with an angry look. That just seems to amuse her more. God, these girls.

"...So, what did you want?"

"Hm?"

"It was your invitation that brought me here. What do you want?"

"I Don't Want Anything, Eridan. Well, Anything But Some Understanding Between Us. That Said, I've Had A Talk With Nepeta, And..." She looks to the girl, who, after taking a deep breath, nods. Kanaya smiles in sympathy. "How Would You Like A Story, Eridan?" Aranea looks excited. Damara sighs and stands. 

"I am going to go look for my sister." She says, in that tone that makes it sound like not just an excuse, but one she's used a million times before.

"...Sure." Maybe somewhere in there you can whip out your gun and catch her by surprise. And...also everyone else here, before they notice. Kanaya nods, and smiles. 

"Well, I Could Tell It. But..." She flashes Aranea a wink, and she gasps in excitement. Roxy looks off towards Damara in amusement, and you turn to see her nodding vigorously back in your two's direction. She mouth a 'good luck' at you.

Aranea flips through her notebook, stopping maybe ten or so pages back from her original place. She stands up, and clears her throat. 

"About 20 years ago, there was a faunus woman named Meulin Leijon. A cat hybrid, bog-standard for the species, really. She, like nearly all members of her race, lived in the northern territories, cast from what many consider to be polite society. She worked hard at the opportunities she was given, carving out as good a life as one could have, yet simply couldn't hold down a job. The reasoning was really quite simple. She wasn't happy with the opportunities. Most faunus are put to work in menial positions, or ones wherein the "Normal" people don't have to look at them. But Meulin had bigger amibitions than most. She wanted to be a scholar.

She knew that the humans of these lands were unlikely to accept her. Prejudice ran deep even where she lived, and she was well aware it was no better here. It was a difficult decision, but after much deliberation, she spent nearly all she had on a surgery, cutting off her ears, tail, any outward traits that she could get someone to remove with the money in her pocket and the caution she still had. With barely enough to take the ride to the southern lands, she set off. Luckily, it wasn't very long before she came to the town of Derse. Openly welcoming, to those unaware of its inner workings. She got a job at the local bookstore by simply hanging around and being helpful enough until its owner felt odd about not paying her. Of course, one can only stay there so long without questions, and at the behest of the store's owner she eventually admitted her story. He was sympathetic, but knew that he was the minority in the town. She was set up a small bedroom, then, and allowed to stay at the store-for a pay cut, of course.

Derse, above all, remains Derse.

Her life there was simple, yes, but she wasn't bothered very much. Yet...one can only stay in one place for so long before getting antsy. She had to go somewhere. This decision was potentially the worst of her life. She went out into the town, and found herself at a bar, where a wealthy man named Horuss Zahhak was drinking his sorrows away. His family was one of rich inventors, renowned across the world. Actually, I believe that rifle across your back was made by one of his companies, Eridan. No, we don't need a story about it, save it for after mine. There you go, good boy. Ah bup bup! No backtalk!

Sorry, where was I? Ah, yes. Horuss was downtrodden. He had gone his life without so much as a steady girlfriend, for reasons tied to many things. Unpleasant personality, personal odor, the list goes on. Unfortunately, this was when Meulin made what bumps her previous decision down to only possibly being the worst. She pitied him. He was a miserable old man looking for heirs, and she was a young woman looking for companionship. It seemed like a wonderful idea. And, for a while, she was still happy. Sure, he was hardly the most pleasant of husbands, but she had hardly expected to have one in the first place. It took just under a year until she managed to get him a child.

One...can forget things, after so long. Not that she had really forgotten her origins, per se, but things had slipped her mind since her arrival. Unfortunately when she saw her new, beautiful, baby girl, things came into clarity quite quickly. Doctors were paid off not to gossip. Another was paid off to schedule a...unique appointment in short order. Meulin mysteriously ran off. A search effort was half-heartedly thrown together, and abandoned in mere weeks.

As you can imagine, Nepeta was not treated very well. Horuss was not exactly a fan of the hybrid folk, and was sure that he had to eliminate any traces of it from Nepeta, in any way possible. Unfortunately, despite his determination, one can't really eliminate the instincts of a faunus by beating it out of them. Life was poor in the Zahhak household, until Nepeta heard a rumor. From who, I can of course only imagine." You vaguely note a smug look, though you've absolutely lost track of her words. "A rumor that out there, there was someone who could help the downtrodden. The hurt. All she had to do was evade one night's curfew, the first of the month. She did, and came face to face with a large beast. One that saw her, and smiled, and urged her closer. One who listened to her story.

A week later, Nepeta disappeared as well. This, of course, is where you come in, Eridan."

Your eyes unglaze. Aradia is here, clapping politely for the story, with Damara trailing close behind. Nepeta looks surprised. "Uhm...wow. I didn't even know some of that." You just look confused. You honestly barely caught most of that. Roxy leans over to you, and whispers in your ear.

"tl;dr nep's mom cut her kitty ears an tail an shit off an came here, got boinked by nep's dad, nep came out w/ the faunus stuff her mom got rid of, her dad kicked her mom out and then nep had to cut HER stuff off an then he was a shitty dad still after all that who coulda guessed lmao. anyways kanayas picked her up 2 help her."

"What the fuck is 'tee ell semicolon dee arr'? Or 'Ell em ay oh?'"

"dont wrry about it"

You worry about it. But you look to Kanaya, who nods. "The World Is Rife With Stories Like This, Eridan. Derse Especially So." She comes close to you, with a pleading look. "The People Of This Town Would Like Me To Be The Villain. They Want You To Play Their Hero. But I'm Just Trying To Help These Girls, Eridan. Do You Understand?"

You look up at her, and frown. But it's at least a softer expression than usual. On the one hand, you still find it hard to trust her. On the other hand, that Aranea girl said everything with such conviction, and...it's not hard to believe. And it would explain some things about Nepeta. And...hm. Kanaya looks hopeful, as she sinks close to the ground. "And...Eridan..." She falters, second guessing herself. "...What Do You Think Of Your Father?"

You stop in your tracks, looking at her. All eyes are on you, looking expectant. "I...what?"

"Your Father, Eridan. Dualscar Ampora. The Scourge Of The Wilds, The Sea's Master, Wielder Of The Legendary Ahab's Crosshairs. What Do You Think Of Him?"

"What do I...well, he's obviously amazing, right?" You can't help but sound like that's an actual question. You shake your head. "No, I mean, he's the best. He's a hero. He's everything I want to be. He fought, he got rich, and he died locked in combat with a monster. A hero." You repeat, with a convicted nod.

"Yes, But What Do You Think Of Him? Personally? Not In These Platitudes, Eridan, How Would You Describe His Role In Your Life?"

"Uh..." You falter. "Well, I guess when I was young he was always pretty busy out there bein'...you know, Dualscar Ampora, Scourge 'A The Wilds, The Sea's yadda yadda yadda. Never got to know him all that well. Left me with mom. But I think he's a role model. Somethin' to aspire to. Always got a goal to work towards, right?"

"Do You Not Find That Stifling?"

"Stifle...nah. Nah, no, not really." You shift into a defensive posture. "Why the fuck would it be stiflin'? I'm the son of an amazing monster hunter, what else could I want?"

Kanaya thinks. She clearly has something she wants to say, but she's not sure if she should. "To Be More Than The Son Of That Amazing Monster Hunter."

Your face curls up in offense, and your eyes narrow. "Listen, witch, you don't know the first fuckin' thing about me, okay? Don't go tryin' to dig into my psyche for weapons to use against me, alright? You won't find shit."

She looks at you, studying. It makes you feel kind of small. "No. Of Course Not." She lifts back up with a stretch, and your jaw drops as she comes to even half of her 'full height' You're pretty sure that just doing this, she could have pulled you up and out of the tree you'd been hiding in before you came to her eye level. That's a lot of coil. That's a lot of snake lady. Monster. Snake monster.

She lowers herself down. "Have You Had Lunch, Eridan? If You're Willing, I'd Be Happy To Let You Stay With Us For A Meal."

You think, before your stomach growls. You give it an angry look. Hey, don't make you look like some sort of hungry asshole. Kanaya can't hide a titter at that, looking at you for your answer. "... _fine_ ," You mutter under your breath. She nods, and calls Aradia to go grab some food for the lot of you. You turn to look, and she's gone.


End file.
